incarnate word academy

Using superior quickness and intense pressure on defense, Incarnate Word Academy won its record-setting eighth state basketball championship on March 18, defeating St. Pius X High School of Kansas City 59-37.

Early on in the Class 4 contest, Incarnate Word’s rebounding stood out. St. Pius thrived on accurate shooting and ballhandling. In the second quarter, Incarnate Word took a 22-13 lead but St. Pius pushed forward, nearly evening the score at 22-21 at halftime.

Incarnate Word Academy's team is checking off what it needs for a fine season, and the team's 59-42 win vs. Parkway North Feb. 13 — the third from the last game of the regular season — was one example, pushing its record to 20-4. Parkway North, led by superb ball-handler Jadyn Pimentel, came into the game with a 17-4 record, including a 57-44 win over Kirkwood, which had defeated Incarnate Word earlier in the month.

Sister Teresa Maya of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word remembers watching the news in Ferguson unfold from the sisters' motherhouse in San Antonio, Texas, and wondered — worried, actually — how her community could make a difference.

One of the sisters' ministries, Incarnate Word Academy, is in the tiny village of Bel-Nor, about 10 minutes from Ferguson. The all-girls Catholic high school has been present there since 1932.

After Incarnate Word Academy breezed to its third consecutive state basketball title March 21, taking the Class 4 girls championship game 60-27 over Mary Institute-Country Day School, the focus turned to next season.

Coach Dan Rolfes will lose senior Napheesa Collier, who has been described as "unforgettable" and super talented by ESPN and by Rolfes as "no doubt" the best player ever in girls basketball in St. Louis. Her combination of skill, athleticism and size sets her apart, he said.

Incarnate Word Academy breezed to its third consecutive state title March 21, taking the Class 4 girls championship game 60-27 over Mary Institute-Country Day School.

The Incarnate Word Red Knights, and Napheesa Collier in particular, seemed to have one thing on their mind — driving to the basket. It worked, with MICDS backpedaling most of the game. Collier scored 30 points and grabbed 19 rebounds. Ivana Easley added 10 points.

"This is the best game we played all season," Collier said. "The ball was just finding me. Literally just falling into my lap some of the time."